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Dokora’s decision making is within the top of the people I have met until now. 

Soon after Dokora made a smokescreen, he confirmed the information of the enemy, and the abilities and techniques we could use. 

And then, made the choice of hiding the hostages in the ground without hesitation, and instructed Rakura to slice off the legs of all the people that she could see. 

His way of thinking is fundamentally different from ours. 

We were conscious of the hostages and wanted to save them as much as possible. 

Raheight took advantage of this, got shaken by it, and even exposed ourselves to danger. 

But Dokora, who agreed to save the hostages if he could, was different. 

The hostages were just pawns of Raheight in his eyes. 

That’s why he switched our plan of action to go as far as injuring them to incapacitate them and take away their capabilities to be pawns.

“—The mana wavelength to induce the explosions has come! It matches the direction Dokora-san said!” 

“He has changed the plan. He most likely has given up on using the hostages and plans on just detonating them to delay us. It is just as predicted.” 

And he easily got a countermeasure for the exploding undead. 

Dokora noticed Raheight sends mana wavelengths to affect the necromancy on the undead in some way to detonate them, so he ordered Blue and Rakura to change the mana quality of the mana that’s filling up the space. 

The effects of a mana wavelength change greatly depending on the quality of the mana in the air. 

We changed the mana in the area to something completely different using both the mana of Blue, who is a Demon Lord, and the air purification magic of Rakura. 

This changed the quality of the detonation mana wavelength of Raheight, nullifying the detonations. 

We didn’t directly affect the necromancy on the undead, so there’s no real change in the undead, and they are simply approaching us as they were before. 

Now all that’s left is for me to tie them up with my chains and seal their movements to deal with them all. 

“Raheight has returned to his original body. Meaning that most undead will be incapacitated by the time he notices what we did.” (Ekdoik)

“Can’t believe he got deceived by such a bluff. There should be a limit to being a coward. Well, that’s also why he is a handful though.” (Dokora)

“Are you saying Raheight still has cards?” (Ekdoik)

“I can roughly tell what kind of person someone is by looking at their eyes. Those types don’t back down easily. Him sending a mana wavelength for detonation despite the moving of his soul having been detected is proof of this.” (Dokora)

Seeing the eyes of people, huh. 

Dokora once saw Ilias showing up in front of him and stating for sure that she wasn’t the one who cornered him. It means that he in a sense has a similar skill to Comrade. 

“You say stuff like Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

“Counselor? Aah, him, huh. It is not on his level. I got these observation skills through the battlefield and it is exclusive to battles. I can’t pull off something commendable like standing in their position and comprehending them.” (Dokora)

But right now we are on a battlefield. 

Having observation skills that don’t lose to Comrade while having combat skills is quite the threat. 

I am impressed that Ilias managed to defeat this man. 

“Hmm, I really do feel like I have met you somewhere…” (Rakura)

“…I was in Mejis, so we could have passed by each other somewhere. More importantly, you have finished incapacitating the undead, right?” (Dokora)

“Yeah, I am already done over here.” (Ekdoik)

They were civilian undead to begin with. 

Even if their physical capabilities are enhanced to a certain degree, I can tie them up while having a conversation without any issues. 

They will fall if I tie up their arms or legs, and they won’t be able to move in any way aside from crawling like a worm. 

“Dealing with these many undead using chains in an instant is pretty impressive. I would have recruited you without doubt if I was alive.” (Dokora)

“That’s an honor. But I am already the subordinate of a Demon Lord. Switching jobs to a bandit is a bit…” (Ekdoik)

“Ha! No doubt about it!” (Dokora)

We retrieved the hostages and finished evacuating them to the ground. 

The only thing left is to catch the real body of Raheight that should be ahead. 

But this will be a bit of a gamble. 

It is not about winning or not, the key will be about whether Raheight can get away or not. 

He won’t need to buy time if Nektohal finishes the resurrection magic. 

It is exactly because it hasn’t been completed that Raheight is staying here. 

But that’s in order to grasp the resurrection magic with his own hands. He will most likely escape without hesitation once he feels like there’s no chance for that. 

We must catch Raheight before he chooses to escape. 

That decision will come sooner now that he has lost the hostages. 

What we need to do is to checkmate Raheight without him noticing. 

“Ekdoik, imbue my knife with paralyzing poison. My equipment is so garbage I want to die. Ah, I am already dead.” (Dokora)

“Shut up! We brought the tools that you used before, you know?!” (Blue)

“It is not enough. The pockets of anbus have 3 times what you imagine. Well, I have gotten quite a lot of mana from the Demon Lord-sama. It is nice to be able to use magic as much as I want.” (Dokora)

“Listen here… I am not bottomless either…” (Blue)

Dokora ordered us to stop with his hand while we were advancing the path. 

And then, he approached the coffin without making a sound, and began to investigate something. 

He lowered his stance even further, and observed the ground scrutinously. 

“Looks like the real body was here. It is faint, but there’s mana traces left. He went over there.” (Dokora)

“You are like a hunter.” (Ekdoik)

“The work of anbus is to hunt people after all. You are not wrong… Stop.” (Dokora)

I feel the wariness of Dokora increase slightly.

Is Raheight nearby? 

Let’s use detection magi—

“There’s no need to.” 

“!” 

Someone showed up from the shadow of a coffin nearby. 

He is pointing his right hand at us and is trying to cast magic. 

The barrier of Rakura should be able to make it in time at this distance, and the retaliation of my chains would be faster! 

I unleash my chains onto the shoulder of the person. 

But the moment I thought it landed, that figure cracked like a mirror. This is…a crystal?! 

He was showing a reflection?! 

“—Field, set.” 

“This is…?!” 

Crystals jutted out from all directions and surrounded us. 

It was slower than the ones before, but it seems to be a technique that can be unleashed at a wide area. 

But what surprised me wasn’t that. 

It is that there’s the same reflection of before on the crystals surrounding us. 

“Ooh, that’s a nostalgic face. That’s right, that’s the face. The face that took my arm!” (Dokora)

“Nice memory. I barely remember your face though.” (Raheight)

A face Dokora knows must mean that this is the body he used when he was moving in the shadows in Mejis. 

I heard that he took his own life when he was cornered by Archbishop Seraes, and that body was stored by the Yugura Church. 

I also heard that they discovered it was stolen when the betrayal of Seraes was revealed though…

His magic activation is a lot smoother than before. 

It would be better to not consider him the same Raheight. 

Activate detection magic… No good. 

This crystal was created with the mana of Raheight. The detection magic is reacting to it. 

It seems like he is hiding in the shadows of a crystal, but I can’t detect which one. 

“It is like a statue reflected in a mirror. His objective must be to confuse us, but does he know who is here?” (Blue)

“Everyone, take cover!” (Rakura)

Everyone lowered themselves at the signal of Rakura. 

Rakura created a thin barrier at the height of her own neck on her surroundings and sliced off the crystals around. 

Sturdy crystals that can even gouge out the ground are no different from wood when facing the slicing barrier of Rakura that can even slice off the barriers of Yugura Church clerics. 

“It should be easier to search with this—?!” (Rakura)

“Rakura!” (Ekdoik)

Rakura is holding her left shoulder.

I was late in noticing what was thrown at Rakura because I concentrated on taking cover. 

A knife shaped magic crystal. 

So he threw a projectile, matching the timing of Rakura’s attack?! 

I direct my gaze in the direction where the magic crystal flew from. There he is. 

It is not a reflection in a crystal but the real Raheight…! 

Dokora had already jumped in range before I did. 

“I already knew that you were inviting us to destroy the crystals. You must have thought you got us with our pants down, but that was so damn lukewarm.” (Dokora)

“—It wasn’t my intention to make it lukewarm though.” (Rakura)

Raheight tried to cast magic onto Dokora with his hand towards him, but Dokora’s knife stabbed deep into his abdomen faster than he did. 

Raheight collapsed in place without making a sound after being hit by the knife that was imbued with paralyzing poison. 

“That was an anti-climatic end. No, that’s not it…! Ekdoik, get away from Rakura!” (Dokora)

“Wa—?!” (Ekdoik)

I feel a sharp impact from my abdomen. 

I directed my gaze there while falling and a crystal had pierced my abdomen. 

Impossible. 

Why is there an attack in this direction? There’s only Rakura he—

“—That’s a surprise. I thought using the body of someone else was purely difficult.” 

Rakura was looking down at me with an expression as if mocking me. 

No, this is not Rakura. 

The magic crystal just now… Could it be that Raheight has possessed the body of Rakura?! 

“Ekdoik?! Could it be Raheight?! You stole the body of Rakura?!” (Blue)

“I am surprised I managed to steal her body this easily. She must have been concentrating on treating her wound, it was shockingly easy to take control of her body. I can freely control magic to a degree that doesn’t lose to my original body despite the quality of the mana not being the same. The flow of mana gets smoother if you train your magic, but…this is impressive.” (Raheight)

He got us. 

Raheight’s aim was Rakura from the very beginning. 

The crystals he deployed only being able to be destroyed with a powerful area spell, and showing himself first so that Dokora jumped in, was all in order to ascertain that the magic crystal knife would land on Rakura. 

It was bait in order to finish setting the conditions to move his soul. 

Dokora kicked the original body of Raheight that was by his feet as he glared at the current Raheight. 

“Possessing the body of a woman. Man, that makes me jealous. The nobles would get happy if you were to write a story about it.” (Dokora)

“Can you treat my body better? I actually like that body quite a lot, you know.” (Raheight)

“I don’t care. It wouldn’t be fair unless I cut an arm or two.” (Dokora)

“That would be troubling. That would mean I would have no choice but to live in this body.” (Raheight)

“You bastard…” (Dokora)

What do we do? 

I may not be able to treat the wound I got at once, but I can resume the battle. 

The issue is that Rakura has become a hostage. 

Dokora and I might be able to capture him, but can we tear him away from the body of Rakura? 

“—Ekdoik, asking you beforehand, but are you prepared?” (Dokora)

“?! Wait, what do you plan on doing, Dokora?!” (Blue)

“What else? If Raheight’s soul has moved to that girl, there’s no choice but to capture her.” (Dokora)

“It is alright. I can do this.” (Ekdoik)

“Ekdoik?!” (Blue)

I don’t want to attack Rakura, but we can’t let Raheight run freely like this. 

We can try to tear Raheight away from Rakura’s body as long as we capture him, if we take our time. 

“Oya oya, those are dangerous eyes to be directing at a comrade. It is true that it is not like I have covered the gap in skills just because I stole this body. Then, how about this?” (Raheight)

“!” 

Raheight placed his right hand on his own temple. 

There’s clearly mana gathering on that palm. 

If he were to cast magic like that, Rakura’s head would be…! 

“Oi oi, it is your first time in that body, right? Will you be able to move to another body if you die here?” (Dokora)

“I can. My soul would be in an unstable state like you -an undead- in the case I do it without using the spell though. Also, I won’t possess the body that you are stepping on right now. I have set it so that the print is discarded and can’t be approached after all.” (Raheight)

“So you can escape to a body you have prepared outside. He got us.” (Dokora)

Dokora lowered his weapon as if he gave up. 

Wait, are you giving up? What will happen to Rakura then? 

“You don’t need to worry, Ekdoik. I will be doing the procedures to move for a long distance, so it is fine for you to just wait without doing anything. Also, I will have you buy time until the resurrection magic of Nektohal is completed.” (Raheight)

Raheight is making preparations to escape. 

But is there a chance Rakura will be released safely with that? 

He will continue being the enemy of Comrade even after escaping. 

In that case, I find it hard to believe he will just spare the life of Rakura just like that. 

Should I make a gamble with the Eyes of Blindness? 

I could deceive his vision, approach Raheight, and paralyze. Maybe with that…no, he can blow up his own head if he just gets one bit conscious of it. 

Raheight managed to kill himself without hesitation in his original body, so there’s no way he would show hesitation in Rakura’s body. 

“Ekdoik, there’s nothing that can be done anymore. Messed up the very last step.” (Dokora)

“!” 

“Right. It is because you didn’t doubt your own advantage—?!” (Raheight)

Raheight suddenly stopped moving. 

The arm that was facing his temple trembled and his whole body staggered. 

“Aah, forgot the subject. What I meant to say was: You messed up the very last step, Raheight.” (Dokora)

“Thish…ish…” (Raheight)

His tongue is not working properly. 

Raheight probably couldn’t keep himself up, he fell right then and there. 

His whole body is trembling. 

These symptoms are clearly those of some sort of paralyzing poison. 

“I am a bad guy, you know? If I know there’s a technique to steal the body of others, the first thing I would think of is stealing the body of one of the enemies to use as a hostage. That’s why I gave an order to Rakura alone beforehand: ‘If Raheight does something to you, that will be for the sake of stealing your body. Use a paralyzing poison that will take a bi~t of time to take effect’.” (Dokora)

“…You didn’t think me or Blue would be targeted?” (Ekdoik)

“You are a demon and that one is a Demon Lord. As for me, I am an undead. If he is going for a hostage, it would only be Rakura, right?” (Dokora)

“I…I heard nothing about this!” (Blue)

“I said I only told Rakura. It was a paralyzing poison that had a delayed effect, so there was the need for decent acting in order to not let Raheight notice and have him gloat on his victory. You guys look like the type that suck at acting.” (Dokora)

…T-This man completely predicted that Raheight would try to steal the body of Rakura to escape when he is cornered? 

Moreover, he didn’t tell me or Blue, and even used our agitation to buy time until the paralysis took effect…

“…You really are an evil guy.” (Blue)

“Haha, gotta get happy about that when it comes from a Demon Lord!” (Dokora)

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